Indian Navy Commissions Submarine Hunter INS Malvan To Counter China In Indian Ocean

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Malvan, the second vessel in the Mahe-class of anti-submarine shallow-water craft.

More than 80% of the ship’s equipment has been manufactured in India, highlighting India’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self-reliance in the defence sector.

The submarine hunter was constructed at Kochi’s Cochin Shipyard Limited and has been named after a former minesweeper of the Indian Navy, which was decommissioned in 2003, after 19 years of operational life.

Malvan’s induction into the Navy marks a new generation of indigenously built shallow water crafts designed for efficiency, speed and operational success to safeguard the country’s maritime interests and borders, especially when China continues to assert maritime dominance in the Indian Ocean region.

With the motto ‘Silent Claws’, the ship carries a tiger emblem symbolising speed, courage, attack capabilities and depicts the navy’s vigilance in the maritime domain.

The commissioning event was organised at the INS Kadamba naval base in Karwar. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was the chief guest, and he spoke about the importance of maintaining a presence in the Indian Ocean Region, securing sea lines of communication and ensuring India’s maritime security.

He also emphasised the need for better coordination between the country’s armed forces to face the adversaries.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, other senior officers, and Cochin Shipyard Limited representatives were also present at the event.

Malvan is the 7th vessel commissioned this year, and 12 more will follow, noted Vice Admiral Vatsayan.

The vessel is 78 m long and displaces 900 to 1100 tonnes. It is powered by three 6 MW marine diesel engines coupled with waterjets, and can achieve a top speed of 25 knots and has an endurance of 14 days.

It has a shallow draught of just 2.7 meters for coastal shelves and island archipelagos.

INS Malvan is equipped with advanced torpedo tubes, a forward-mounted RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher, and mine-laying capabilities.

It also has an indigenously developed Abhay compact active hull-mounted sonar and a towed low-frequency variable-depth sonar for tracking targets, alongside an integrated Combat Management System.